Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby Shoe Sets World Record at Auction

A horseshoe worn by 1973 Triple Crown winner and legendary Thoroughbred Secretariat in the Kentucky Derby sold for $80,736 in an auction conducted by Lelands.com on Aug. 16.

The price is a world record for a horseshoe, more than doubling the prior mark of $37,000, according to Lelands.com president Mike Heffner.

The horseshoe was given by trainer Lucien Laurin to the family of Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery in the days following “Big Red’s” 2 ½-length win in the run for the roses. The auction opened for Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby shoe on July 15 and continued for a month with almost 6,400 views and 18 separate bids before closing Friday.

Secretariat and Penny Chenery (Bob Coglianese/BloodHorse Library)

“We anticipated a high level of interest in Secretariat’s Derby shoe,” Heffner said. “Given the provenance of this particular shoe and historical significance of the 1973 Kentucky Derby, we expected it to do well. However, watching it more than double the previous record was a wonderful surprise. We suspect this impressive price will attract more interest from sports memorabilia collectors to any original Secretariat-related artifact as well as to the sport of racing in general.”

Lelands.com is working with the Chenery-Tweedy family to offer additional items from the archives of Meadow Stable (Chenery’s stable name) and the personal collection of Penny Chenery in the weeks ahead. Chenery died in September 2017.

The Secretariat Summer Auction at www.secretariat.com is currently open for bidding through Aug. 26, featuring items such as the Chenery-Tweedy family’s original track-used Kentucky Derby clubhouse box ticket stub and an official program and admission bracelet from the ’73 Derby.

Proceeds from the Secretariat Summer Auction will benefit the Secretariat Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization created by Chenery to assist the Thoroughbred industry in the areas of research, rehabilitation, retirement, and recognition.

Secretariat, the ninth Triple Crown winner in history, set stakes records in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes that still stand today, winning 16 of 21 career starts and earning over $1.3 million. He entered the Racing Hall of Fame in 1974 and died in 1989.